The willingness to act quickly without associating the Pakistani government, led US services to use all possible means to penetrate discretely the Pakistani airspace to get Bin Laden. One of them seems to be a never known model of a stealth helicopter which tail section remained on site, the main body having been destroyed in situ by US special forces. Photo Credit: Rear Rota of a Stealth Helicopter ByPodknox/ FlickR

Jane’s Aviation website suggests that Images of the wreckage of the helicopter, and specifically, tail rotor blades and hub, point respectively to possible reduced radar and acoustic signature through the use of composite material and rounded shapes. The crashed helicopter’s tail rotor is similar to one the Boeing-Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche. Acoustic stealth was one of the key design criteria of the Comanche program. Bill Sweetman on Aviation Week’s Ares blog adds that the tail has also a silver-loaded infra-red suppression finish similar to that seen on some Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey.

“Less than a month ago Lieutenant General Bill Phillips, principal military deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the US Army – Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology, told the Senate that the army is currently leveraging technologies from canceled programs to incorporate into future projects. “Most importantly, we harvested technology from Comanche,” he said.”

“The Comanche helicopter design allows a cruise speed of 165 knots. The futuristic propulsion and navigation design also allows the helicopter to execute snap turns in 4.5 seconds and fly sideways or backwards at 70 mph. With a tremendous power output of 1,432 horsepower from each of it’s turboshafts, the Comanche climbs at a rate of 1,418 feet per minute.”

The US Navy’s SEAL Team 6 involved in the mission, destroyed the helicopter after experiencing a undisclosed technical malfunction. The U.S. has reportedly asked Pakistan to return the remaining pieces so that the technology won’t be sold to any other nations or enemies. Interestingly, some sources report that before the attacks, electricity and phones were shutdown in Abbottabad.

Content / Rights

All content belongs to Cap Falcon except where indicated. You may freely reuse our content with the condition of explicitly attributing it to capfalcon.com or its respective original sources.

Cap Falcon

“I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and cause me to tremble for safety of my country; corporations have been enthroned, an era of corruption in High Places will follow, and the Money Power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the People, until the wealth is aggregated in a few hands, and the Republic destroyed.”
ABRAHAM LINCOLN, letter to Col. William F. Elkins, Nov. 21, 1864
Ref: The Lincoln Encyclopedia, Archer H. Shaw (Macmillan, 1950, NY)